Best thing you've gotten from an HFCer

[hardheartedbill]

Brooks turned me onto Tenatious D, I'm forever grateful. Phoenix , I don't know where to start, suffice to say I'm in his debt bigtime

[JohnnyThunders]

Pam gave me some cool CD's "Sounds of 60's Slot Cars" and the "Sonics" and she showed me around LA when I was out there. Nice lady, nice husband and cute kids.

Chris Matthes bought me a beer and tried to get me back stage at the Rock Hall battle of the corporate bands. Good time.

ElDuave gave me a great price on a custom guitar but I didn't pull the trigger, yet! He gave me a good laugh when he lit up at the acoustic jam at the factory tour last year.

I got a BCR t-shirt from Gregg but I bought a guitar. Nice purple shirt goes with my Aiken.

Fung let me look at the "book" at last years open house. Wish he would have given me the Slash guitar, just kidding Peter anytime you want to sell it let me know. And no I'm not selling/trading my 4-digit.

Tom Terrifc gave me encouragement to get up and play and encourgement after I screwed up at the Midwest Jam. Class guy. Carmie and Badger Dave aggreed to play with me at the Midwest jam and were very nice about it afterwards. It meant alot.

I guess it's just a bunch of people helping each other out, nice in this day and age. Thanks everyone.

[hamerhead]

I got a Slave Raider CD from WyldBil . Very cool.

...oh.... and I got a coupla pretty decent guitars thru BCRGreg.

Plus about a ton of other stuff...

[SirDouglas]

Greg gave me herpes!!! (joke)

lotsa good advice and guitars from Greg Steve Chris and Pete... nice easy to get along with people.... alwasy important to remember the little people...

RAWR!!!

Sir Douglas

Randy

[BTMN]

Way to many things over the years including straplocks, hot sauce, cds, instant friendships, a place to crash in Dallas, cool shirts, and one of you even played music at my mom's memorial service last year. I could NEVER repay all of it but I keep trying.

THANKS!!!!!!!

[formula73]

Count yourselves lucky I've never given you anything. I have a really good time during port calls. I'm still waiting for the blood test results...

[BCR Greg]

A box of food from Cajun, another from Jeffro, the best band website ever from Kiz, lots of CDs from lots of people, but most of all...support and friendship from people that I like and respect.

[ET_KenW]

Almost everyone on this board has given me something I really appreciate at one time or another......

Laughter

Thank you all for that.

Special thanks to MCChris, BadgeDave, Sir Dan, Mike Lee, tbabinec, FunkyE9th, and any others that let me feel like part of "The Band" at the various Midwest Jams I have played with.

Thank you all for letting this hack feel that maybe this wasn't a mistake to start learning to play later in life.

[thecajunboy]

I'll go with the friendship and help thing. That's the coolest I've gotten from here. I can learn so much about so many things here. And you crazy bastards will eat anything I put out there for you. Even the lizardsnot meatpies we brought to HFC Open House in 04.

I'm lucky enough to have a brother and close friend within easy driving distance that play here too. That's cool.

In a material way, I'd say the coolest was being a guest at the 1st not-so-annual Poe-Palooza, where we enjoyed free luxury acommodations, a trip to LeMoyne to meet Greg and some other fine folks from here, jam with the Nightwolf, and also a free pass to a beer tasting in Pittsburgh where we got to see a young girl hurl in a taxi cab. Hell, Poe even let me sleep upstairs where I was able to pee outta da window. Actually the only thing uncool about that trip was the sneaky bastard that had to defile the bathroom and subsequently the entire cabin on that flying wiener me and Jeffro had to ride in to get up there.

[MrGuitarguy]

BCRGreg gave me an interview I used for a college project once.

Jack Butler kindly gave me a bunch of sheet music he was kind enough to tab and send to me.

Paults gives me a dreamy look whenever I see him...

I've also recieved a lot of good advice here from various HFC'ers on various topics.

[Brooks]

Where to start:

Phoenix for the hot sauce and hospitality and everything else

yes, thanx steve for the hot sauce and, errr, everything else .

thanx to stike for some free work on a few of my guitars.

thanx to HHB and BBD for recording my tune w/ me a few years back (when i was band-less).

oh, how could i forget, thanx to mc chris for the porn!!

[Disturber]

Serial send me a tape I was looking for.

Serial & Greg has given me some great advice on Hamer's.

Wyldbil sent me some original strap buttons for my ol Sunburst, thanks!

Greg sent me original pickups for my Standard, (alright I had to pay the bastard).

Also, replies FROM A LOT OF HFC'ers to my various stupid posts regarding

different gear & Hamer guitars that I needed opinions and advice on.

Thanks for taking the time, all of you!!!!

Many of you HFC'ers have given me a good laugh on more

occasions than i can even remember or mention.

Love the humour of this place!

Many thanks also for the boobie pics! No thanks to whoever posted

the butt cheeks first

[serial]

Great thread, great posts. Yeah my first post was a bit of a goof, but I would be remiss in not mentioning the greatest part of this place as Poe and a bunch of others here have already done. My wife thought I was insane early on when I would talk about these "invisible people" who I considered friends and eventually got to hang out with at the HFC events. She has since gotten to meet a number of them who we happen to run into from time to time and now "gets it". There is an amazing commonality that I haven't experienced elsewhere that makes most people here quickly bond. I get phone calls from HFCers almost daily and really enjoy the friendships that I've made here. If I tried to make a list thanking people for stuff, this post would take me all week and still not be close to complete. Thanks People!

[BCR Greg]

Agreed. Having made such great friends and then actually MEETING them later is a cool thing. Poe singing with my band, Cajun, Jeffro, Tom, Rindone, Matt Smith and all the others that have traveled to see the band and the tons of folks that have come to the store of their own volition.... AWESOME.

Every day I talk to at least 2 or 3 HFC members.

This place has really enriched the lives of all of us.

Gimme a hug.....(*sniff*)

[savethematches]

Phoenix--killer hot sauce (which decorated my chili last night) and acoustic guitar strings

JackButler--Intelli-Shred, help with a research project, and being an all-around classy guy

BCRGreg--answers to my stupid questions about eBay guitars that I can't afford anyway

TomTerrific--recording advice and response to my students' recording project

Too many others to list--support and prayers for me and my family when Dad was going through his cancer surgery in August, "virtual" friendship which seems pretty real to me, images of some of the most beautiful guitars in the world that I'd otherwise have never seen, and lots of laughs.

I never thought I'd turn into one of those people who hangs out with his friends on the computer, but here I am, typing instead of working!

[ET_KenW]

Gimme a hug.....(*sniff*)

Last time I fell for that you grabbed my a$$.

[Jeff R]

Wow, waaaay too many close friends and friendly deeds exchanged with the folks who hang out here and I'd be scared to create a comprehensive list because I'd surely leave someone out accidentally.

But the most recent examples...these are just from this month.

1. I've been testdriving V1 in my JCM2000 in recent weeks with classic vintage 12AX7s (old Mullards and RCAs and more rare, EXPENSIVE glass) in an effort to milk the best tone out of it I can. How'd the tubes get here? Poe sent 'em to me with the instructions "play with each one (there were eight vintage tubes total) for a couple of weeks to dial in your ear right and when you've gone through all eight, keep the best one and send the rest back to me."

2. Get home from work a couple of weeks ago and a package is on the front step. It's a framed 8x10 of a shot Kiz snapped in the Barataria swamp south of New Orleans in August during our little romp through Cajun land. I'm getting a new frame for it (USPS busted the frame) and it's destined for the foyer at my office.

3. Last weekend with Wildman Wilder, his Texas posse and Cajun Boy in the Atchafalaya Basin on the houseboat. I could have stayed out there for weeks that was so much fun.

[bobbymack]

Alot of great information and conversation. Compassion too.

BCRGreg helped me out bigtime once when FedEx Grnnnd trashed a guitar I'd bought. Phoenix's hot sauce was truly superb. And there have been a lot of square deals over the years too....

[lonote049]

Badger Dave was kind enough to send me a couple of tickets to see Taj Mahal a while back. I also have to say that the 4321 jams at Bruce M's place are absolutely a riot and the fun I've had there ranks at the top of my list of good times. Meeting HFC people and talking about and drooling over the beautiful guitars is a great way to spend some time.

[belgian]

Aside of a lot of good reading, a lot of good advice on Hamers :

Elduave helping me out on the shipping of my centaura and Kraut from Germany who sended me the DVD of Gov't mule in Köln.

This is by far the best Concert-dvd I have.

And the improvement of my English....

[silentman]

I'll jump in again on a more serious note to echo a lot that has been said. I've gotten advice on lots of different things, recipes, gear and and other stuff from the many peeps here. I'd consider some folks friends here even though we may have never met. We all share a passion for similar things. For those I have met, I've enjoyed our interaction. Enjoyed with jamming with everyone at the HFC events and look forward to meeting others in the future. Not a bad apple in the bunch as far as I'm concerned. There's nothing funner than getting together with other gearheads and drooling over guitars!

[robbie]

Bruce's 4321 jams!!!

[BruceM]

Bruce's 4321 jams!!!

The pleasure is all mine...every time I host one of these, I get a kick-ass live band in the comfort of my own home. And it keeps morphing all night long. These jams are a riot! And it astounds me that people would actually travel to attend. Can't wait for the next celebrities to show up!

I've also gotten an invitation from Robbie, Dave & Toni to play in the Famous Volcanoes, and it's worked out great. I'm looking forward to additional recording and playing around town. I've never actually been on a cd before, so big thanks to all my bandmates for making that happen. But of course the best part is hanging out once a week for practice with some very decent people and musicians, and playing their cool songs.

Ted continues to provide this board for all of us, and I get to hang out with him on occasion, too, and check out mini-bike a couple times a year!

Eric Weston has set up guitars for me, which is way cool. He also makes it to more jams than anyone, except perhaps Joe.

BadgerDave shows up with the finest guitars I've ever laid eyes on, and lets us all play them, to boot!

Pam has been an extraordinary friend, and gave me lots of CC swag, as well as getting me a backstage pass for the Rockford Cheap Chick/Silvertide show, and even allowed me to tag along for breakfast when Rick Nielsen called! Too cool to get to meet one of your rock idols. She also made the trip to Mpls, not once, but twice this year. I've gotta get out to LA soon...

BCR Greg, Ricky2 & Skeez provided me with the wildest ride I've ever taken to O'hare airport after last year's MW Jam.

MC Chris hospitality at this year's MW Jam has been stellar...he even let me crash at his place on short notice, and bought the coffee the next morning. AND, he drove all the way up here to participate in CJ II this summer. Lookin' forward to next year's visit's as well.

Carmie & George also made it to two jams at the 4-3-2-1 this year, and George fixed all my doorknobs!

And I've gotta give big props to all the 4-3-2-1 Club regulars. Joe gets the attendance award, making all six jams this year. Sir Dan is a great enabler, and playing his 25th Ann. Ltd. was a major reason I now own one of my own. Nevermind that he BROKE Black Bart. BillW provides endless hours of Ledzep & ZZTop fun, be it on guitar or drums. And it's always good to see the others when they can make it...Greg, Eric, Rick and my two main drummers, Mike & Pete...It's also good to see new bands forming locally through connections made in my basement.

In short, as others have said, it's amazing to me that an internet board can be the source of such lasting friendships. It's always a bit surprising to meet these new people and actually feel like you know them, but I'm getting used to it. I'm really hoping I can attend some of the other regional jams. Don't be surprised if I pop in on some of the others...

[BCR Greg]

BCR Greg, Ricky2 & Skeez provided me with the wildest ride I've ever taken to O'hare airport after last year's MW Jam.

Yeah, having a heavy caffeinated, sleep deprived Irish wildman driving a Subaru wagon at twice the legal limit whilst undetermined wildlife attempt to commit suicide under the wheels can be harrowing, yet exhilerating! That (possum/dog/escaped lab rat) thing was lucky as hell that the Legacy was not his undoing.

Seeing Bruce kneel down and kiss the sidewalk at O'Hare was a funny sight, indeed.

[tafkathundernotes]

The best thing is finding all the friends I didn't even know I had.

I regret the fact we didn't have the big one in CT this year. I had such a blast last fall - but the time goes by so quickly. I think some road trips are in my future. Of course, I'll be glad to pick up any HFC hitchhikers that want to go along for the ride.